Call for Speakers Opens for TBEX Europe 2015 in Lloret de Mar

Today we are opening the Call for Speakers for TBEX Europe 2015 in Lloret de Mar. To help you understand what we are looking for, we have some information on how you can submit a proposal that is relevant to our attendees, showcases your expertise, and fits into our overall program.

But first, let’s take a look at some speaker information from TBEX Europe 2014 in Athens:

There were 42 speakers.

60% of the speakers were from North America, 40% were from Europe (including 12% from Greece).

There were an equal number of men and women speakers.

57% of the speakers were on the TBEX stage for the first time, with 43% of the speakers making a return appearance.

Now, let’s get excited about Lloret de Mar!

TBEX Europe 2015 will be held April 30-May 2, 2015 at the Evenia Olympic Resort in the beautiful seaside town of Lloret de Mar. The town is in the beautiful Costa Brava region of Catalyuna, about 47 miles from Barcelona. For planning purposes, and to maximize your TBEX experience, we recommend that that you allot a few days before and after the conference dates to enjoy the pre- and post- tours and activities, along with FAM/press trips. More information about this additional TBEX programming will be announced as it becomes available; this general timeframe is provided to help you decide if you can commit to the dates and schedule.

We receive hundreds of session ideas, far more than can be allocated to our programming. To help you focus your ideas and pitch them in a way that gets your ideas across, we offer the following tips:

Think about your topic with a laser-like focus, narrowing it down to a manageable amount of information. On the submission form you will need to provide a brief description of your topic in which to explain what you can teach and share in a one-hour session (leaving time for questions and answers). You will also need to list specific takeaways that an attendee will help attendees create better content, build stronger communities, and/or develop better businesses.

Consider the best format and presentation style for your session. We can accommodate solo presentations, co-presentations, and panels. For presentations with multiple speakers, we prefer to have speakers from different blogs, businesses, etc., as it provides differing opinions and viewpoints on a topic. Keep in mind that we may suggest a co-presenter who we think can help round out the information.

There are a variety of things that we look for in selecting speakers. It’s helps to be an expert on your topic, but that alone isn’t enough. You also need to be great speaker. We recognize that there are a number of different speaking styles, just as there a number of different learning styles, and we don’t want carbon copies on the stage. If you know that you’re a subject matter expert with little speaking experience, partner up with someone who has that speaking experience, even if they might not be as knowledgeable as you on the topic.

Specify a knowledge level that your session designed for. Basic should be thought of as an entry level session, with no understanding or background on the topic. Intermediate sessions are designed for attendees who have some knowledge of the topic and who are looking to develop further competency in that area. Most sessions are intermediate level. Advanced sessions are for attendees who have mastered core competencies in a subject matter, who have likely been blogging for some time, and who have created a business that incorporates their blogging activities in some way. Advanced sessions have become highly requested and we want to feature more of them this year.

Let us know how you can help promote TBEX Europe and your session. We expect speakers to submit a guest blog post for the TBEX blog, and hope you are interested in helping us expand our community of travel bloggers, industry representatives, and attendees.

The ultimate decision maker of what is a great session is our attendees. When preparing your speaker submission, we encourage you to think like an attendee, asking yourself what an attendee would want to learn about your topic idea.

The ONE thing to avoid when you’re putting together your speaker submission:

Your session should not be a product pitch, nor promotional for your blog, company, or services. Promotion and buzz about your company will naturally flow from delivering a high quality session. Rick always says, and it bears repeating here, “The stage is for education, not selling.”

Other helpful information about speaking at TBEX:

All speaker submissions must be submitted via the submission form.

If you have an idea for a educational session and want some help in narrowing it down, crafting a better angle, etc., I am happy to discuss ideas with you before you fill out the form. You can email me here, and we can discuss via email, a phone call, or Skype chat.

Preference is given to speakers who will attend and participate in the entire TBEX event. If for some reason you are not able to do so, please make a note of this in your submission form. We also expect that speakers will not promote or attend any event that conflicts with official TBEX programming.

We do not pay a speaker fee.

All speakers receive complimentary registration. We do not cover expenses beyond registration for industry attendees.

Coverage of blogger expenses (economy class transportation and accommodations) will be discussed upon confirmation of a speaking slot. Should you not need travel expenses covered, please let us know in your submission.

Please be patient as we work through all the speaker submission forms and create our program. I used to think selecting speakers was easy, until I had to do it. Now I realize that creating a great program is like one giant game of Tetris, with each decision having to fit together as part of a balanced whole. It takes time, but we continue to streamline the process and are able to respond more quickly than in previous years.

And the most important thing to know about speaking at TBEX:

It’s fun!

Talk to anyone who has been a speaker and they’ll tell you they had a great time. Speaking at TBEX is a wonderful way to increase your influence, highlight your expertise, and to learn. We want the experience to be just as enjoyable for you as a speaker as it is for all of our attendees.

What are you waiting for? Get all your thoughts together and then head over to the submission page.